


She Makes My Heartbeat Go Faster

by TheNotoriousN_Y_E



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Bartender AU, But Sadly No Actual Smut, Cashews, Chloe is actually good at it but not good with people, F/F, Fluff, Hinted smut, Implied living together, Max is a good bartender, Multi, Rachel is pissed, amberpricefield, she isn't a bartender though, we all weak for Rachel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 04:44:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14205339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNotoriousN_Y_E/pseuds/TheNotoriousN_Y_E
Summary: “What’s a pretty bar like you doing in a girl like this?”





	She Makes My Heartbeat Go Faster

“Hey, Max, do you know what makes cashews so satisfying?”

Max glances over to her colleague from where she’s standing, an arm wrapped around her ribs with the other propped into the opposite elbow, holding her phone in front of her face and legs crossed at the ankles. “Because they’re nutty and creamy at the same time?”

Her colleague frowns, head spinning from looking at the nuts in her hand to Max’s face so fast, Max is worried she’ll break her neck. She looks like she’s going to be sick. “Don’t you ever, and I mean _ever_ , use ‘nut’ and ‘cream’ in the same sentence again,” She shudders. “Fuckin’ _hella_ nasty.”

Max laughs it off but honestly the thought makes her skin itch as well. “Sorry,” she says. “What is it about cashews that’s so satisfying, Chloe?”

Chloe smiles wistfully. “You know when you bite into one and it just separates perfectly into halves? Like, that shit just slides apart and then when you lick the inside of it, it’s insanely smooth, like… I dunno, a candle or some shit.”

“Chloe, you’re not supposed to lick candles. That’s not what they’re there for.”

“Jesus fucking- shut up, Caulfield.” Chloe huffs. “You know what I meant.”

Max thinks about it, secretly agreeing with Chloe’s hypothesis and yet, “I don’t think I fully understand what you’re getting at. It’s been a while since I had a cashew. I think I should have one of yours, y'know, refresh my memory.”

She reaches for Chloe’s small cup of nuts, only to get a sharp slap to the back of her hand in return.

“Just _who_ in the fuck do you think you are, coming in here, acting like you own the place and stealing my cashews?” Chloe’s voice fizzing with disbelief and irritation.

Max pauses, frowning. “Your girlfriend…”

Her tone says ‘Duh…’ but her eyes say ‘You lovable idiot’.

“Oh yeah, you right,” Chloe grins playfully, pushing the nuts towards her.

A voice next to them breaks their moment. “Uh, excuse me?”

And at the same time Max says “Hi there, what can I get you?”, Chloe sighs with a pointed “You’re excused.”

Max shoots her a look. “What my colleague means is, ‘How’re you doing?’” She chuckles awkwardly to the customer.

He looks between the two girls, frowning in the kind of way a teacher would if they caught you throwing pencils across the room at your friend, before settling back on Max. “Can I have a Guinness, please?”

“Sure!”

The bar’s quiet so Chloe pushes off the backbar while Max starts pouring the drink and holds out her hand flat, palm up at the man. “Six fifty,” she says flatly, eyes boring into him.

The customer physically recoils, “Six fifty?! For a pint? That’s ridiculous!”

“That’s Seattle,” she deadpans. “I don’t make the prices, dude.”

Max nods wisely, “It’s true, it’s just going by the average.”

The man sighs and hangs his head, pulling a ten out of his wallet however woefully. “Fine.”

Max’s grin is sparkling, “We have the best Guinness in the city, it’s worth it!”

Chloe frowns as she takes the money, cashing it up on the till and counting the change. “I mean, we get it from the same supplier as most bars in the area so I’m not sure that’s completely true.”

Max’s glare is sparking.

Hands shoot up in surrender as Chloe takes a step back after handing the customer his money, “Just sayin’...”

Max ignores her, “Here you are, enjoy it!” overdoing the obligatory customer service smile. She whirls back around to Chloe, glare slipped back into place like a dropped window blind but there’s the smallest crack that tells Chloe she’s not actually about to get a slap. “We’re supposed to do our best to sell! How are we going to get tips if you keep this good cop, bad cop shit going?”

Chloe laughs, taking a step towards Max who only takes one backwards. “That cheapskate was never going to tip and if he did, I would’ve eaten your hat in disbelief.”

“I don’t have a hat.”

“I know, thank _God_.”

Max chuckles, instantly regrets giving her girlfriend the satisfaction and gently pushes Chloe away with two hands to her abdomen. “Stop doing that.”

Chloe grins, her head tilting towards her shoulder. “Stop doing what?” She asks innocently.

“You know what,” a light laugh slips through Max’s lips as Chloe again takes a step closer.

“No, I don’t. What is it that I’m doing, Maximus?” Her eyes are glinting in the low lighting and Max feels her heart stutter behind her sternum. She gulps.

“Stop acting so innocent, it doesn’t suit you.”

“Doesn’t suit me? I beg to differ, I think you think it looks particularly good on me, actually.”

Max doesn’t stop her when Chloe takes another sly step until she’s pressed up against her. The warmth her body radiates seeps through Max’s clothes until she can feel it heating up her skin and her breath quickens when she looks up from Chloe's clavicle to her pink lips. She doesn’t even realise she’s already licking her own. “Chloe, we’re working,” She tries to sound stern.

She fails.

“Max, it’s pretty fucking dead in here. Besides, the customers we do have are all in corners or behind the pillars, they can’t see. Can’t I stand next to my girlfriend, or is there a staff rule against it?”

God damn it.

“Chloe, you’re doing more than standing next to me.”

“Oh, really? Remind me again, what I’m doing?” She’s slowly leaning down, having reached up to tilt Max’s chin up. Max is struggling to breathe by this point.

“You’re coming onto me.”

“Not yet, babe.” Chloe winks.

What even is air, anyway?

“You’re making a move on me.”

“That’s against the rules? Shame.”

Just as Chloe closes the distance between them, the door behind them slams open and they spring apart. Chloe groans and angrily turns to see who interrupted them, Max stepping out from behind her to greet the new customer, trying and failing to slip into her customer service persona smoothly.

A girl about Max’s height with long, dark blonde hair and blue flannel to match her blue feather earring strides confidently up to the bar right in front of where Chloe has leaned her elbow. Her hazel eyes are nothing less than beautiful as they narrow at the punk behind the bar. Her hands are on her hips and she looks nothing less than pissed but Chloe seems to have totally disregarded that.

“What’s a pretty bar like you doing in a girl like this?” Chloe winks at the stormy woman.

Her expression almost falters, so minutely that if the bartenders hadn’t been so transfixed, they would definitely have missed it.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, that was inappropriate of her. Can I get you a drink? Maybe some snacks?” Max strides over to the pair. Usually she’s able to remain professional at all times but even she’s found herself leaning her elbows on the bar, resting her chin in her hand as she openly stares.

The blonde’s gaze snaps onto Max but she side eyes Chloe suspiciously one last time. “No, but I’d like my keys back, thank you.”

Max’s brows furrow. “Keys? I don’t have your keys, why would I have your keys?”

“Not you. Her,” She points a finger in Chloe’s face, an inch away from her nose. Chloe’s unfazed, her smile so serene that Max has to check the clock to figure out how long it’s been since she had a smoke break.

“What keys?” Chloe asks innocently.

Surely it hasn’t been that long?

“You know fine well what keys, Chloe Price. Give me my damn apartment keys!” Just a hint of exasperation seeps through her musical voice.

Chloe sighs wistfully. “Why would I have your apartment keys, Rach?”

A harsh sigh and a wild gesture from the plaid clad blonde. “We all know exactly why you would have my apartment keys, Chloe!”

Max smirks knowingly but says nothing, continuing to watch the exchange.

Chloe’s serene smile is replaced by a crooked smirk. “Well? It worked, didn’t it? You’re here!”

“Sorry, Rachel, I told her you wouldn’t be happy but she wouldn’t listen,” Max grinned happily.

Rachel sighed in resignation as her shoulders dropped out of her tense pose. “Guys, if you wanted me to come spend time with you at work, all you needed to do was say so. You didn’t have to make me go all the way home only to come all the way here to then go all the way back.”

She couldn’t stop her lips from curving upwards though.

“I’m sorry babe, next time I’ll do just that, okay? Would a kiss make it better?” Chloe pouts, looking up at Rachel through fluttering eyelashes.

Rachel definitely can’t stop her grin from taking up the majority of her beautiful face and shakes her head with a laugh, leaning forwards anyway. “You idiot.”

Max watches as their lips meet and her heart clenches in her chest, both with love and a familiar hint of jealousy. “Hey, where’s mine?” She jokes, stealing Rachel’s attention away from Chloe.

Reaching over, Max grabs a hold of the unbuttoned collar of Rachel’s shirt and slowly pulls her closer. Rachel smells like jasmine, peppermint and… Max closes her eyes… _home_. Her lips are soft, full and just the slightest bit wet from her kiss with Chloe, warm against her. Max doesn’t let go, softly exhaling through her nose as she soaks up the moment. She didn’t get to see Rachel this morning before she rushed out to work, it’s been almost twenty hours since she’s tasted her.

 _Any_ of her.

“If you’re tired I can go get your keys from my bag and Max can call you a cab, if you want? Or you could stay for a drink and you can come back in the truck with us in about two hours?” Chloe supplies from where she is next to them.

Rachel pulls back from Max, running her tongue over her lower lip before pulling it between her teeth, eyes twinkling as she looked from Max’s blue eyes to Chloe’s.

Fuck.

Rachel pauses, an idea evidently coming into mind as her eyes narrowed playfully in thought. “Just give me your keys and I’ll meet you at home, you can use mine.”

The look she gives Chloe has her pausing briefly before fumbling for her lanyard like an idiot, almost throwing it at her when she finally digs her own keys out of her back pocket.

Rachel winks in thanks before grabbing each of them and kisses them goodbye in turn, waving sweetly as she skips out the door.

Chloe and Max are staring at the entrance for a good ten seconds after before Chloe says, “I think that worked out well.”

“Better than expected,” Max nods dumbly.

“Do you think she…?”

“Yup.”

“... We could probably close early tonight…”

“I’ll get the mop.”

**Author's Note:**

> This literally just came from my appreciation of cashews when I was working. How? I dunno.
> 
> In other news, guess who aced their audition and got accepted into the next year of college? That's right, kids, this cunt!
> 
> Also, if you read my other fic and my note at the end, disregard the crush thing, found out she's seeing a Spanish fella called Eric who always wears a bandana.
> 
> *Title taken from She's Casual by The Hunna*


End file.
